Kirkcaldy & Central Fife Sports Awards: nominations open for 2023 awards

Kirkcaldy and Central Fife Sports Council has launched its first annual awards since the pandemic.

The search to honour the most dedicated and successful sportsmen and women and teams will culminate with a presentation night at Fife College’s St Brycedale Campus on Thursday, March 30 next year.

But nominations across a whole range of categories are now open - and the judges want to hear from you.

And in a bid to recognise the achievements of clubs and individuals during the pandemic. The entry period will cover the last 18 months.

The sports council covers a geographical patch from Burntisland to Leven and Glenrothes.

They are open to anyone in the catchment area, or who are members of a club within it.

Individuals who live outwith the area can be nominated provided they are members of a club within the area - and provided they are not shortlisted for a similar award in their home area.

The nominations should cover the period between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

George MacDonald, who chairs the awards committee and has been at the helm of the awards for many years, said: “What we need now is your help by nominating individuals, or teams, who you believe meet the criteria for the various awards.”

“The 18-month timespan may see some sportsmen and women eligible for more than one age category - they have moved from youths to juniors, for example - but we have laid out criteria on our website.”

The categories for 2021/22 are:

Junior Award - open to for those born 2006/7 or later; Youth Award (born between 2001/2 and 2005/6 inclusive); Senior Award (born 2000/1 or earlier); Disability award; Junior/Youth Team award (Team members born 2001/2002 or later); and Team Award.

There is also an award to recognise the coach of the year and celebrate the achievements of an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the performance of their club’s members.

And the awards will also honour an individual; - it could be a coach , official or administrator - for their voluntary contribution to sport in the area over a lengthy period and by doing so helped to develop sport locally.

The return of the awards is an important milestone for the sports council which saw the number of affiliated clubs drop by 50% during the pandemic.

The good news is it is almost back to normal, and it has started to award grants to support its members.

There is a lot of hard work to be done between now ands awards night - and the more nominations which are made, the more of a challenge it sets the judging panel.

But it is a challenge they thrive on, and have encouraged sports fans, volunteers and coaches to look to nominate the sportsmen and women in their charge who have continued to achieve during the toughest of times.

To make a nomination, all the details can be found on the Kirkcaldy and Central Fife Sports Council website www.kcfsportscouncil.co.uk